Pediatric urticaria in the Emergency Department: epidemiological characteristics and predictive factors for its persistence in children
Valentina Talarico, Gian Luigi Marseglia, Marcello Lanari, Susanna Esposito, Stefano Masi, Maria De Filippo, Luca Gallelli, Amelia Licari, Riccardo Lubrano, Stefania Zampogna
Abstract
We evaluated 314 children admitted to the ED with a diagnosis of AU. We analyzed information concerning its onset, duration, severity, possible triggering factors, and the persistence of symptoms after 1, 3, and 6 months. Results. The most common etiological factors were infections (43.9%); in up to 32.4% of cases, AU was considered as idiopathic. AU was significantly most common in males and pre-school children. At the 6-month follow-up, 9.5% of children presented a persistence of urticaria, mainly those with contact (44.4%) or idiopathic (30.4%) forms. Conclusions. The AU etiology identified by history in the ED may be a significant predictor of persistence after a first attack of AU.